Sri Lanka’s Participation at Thaifex Anuga Asia 2025 and Technical Exposure & Capacity Building Programme

Sri Lankan Food & Beverages Exporters took part in THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025, the leading food and beverage trade show in Asia, which successfully held from 27^th to 31^st May 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Thailand organized the Sri Lanka Country Pavilion at THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 to showcase the Food and Beverage products of four Sri Lankan manufacturers, including three SMEs, aiming at potential buyers and distributors in Southeast Asia. Consequently, companies such as Waguruwela Oil Mills (Pvt) Ltd, Ellawala Horticulture (Pvt) Ltd., Muswenna Tea Factory, and Ceyland BG Manufacturing & Trading (Pvt) Ltd. from Sri Lanka were able to display their products in the Country Pavilion at THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025. The event generated encouraging leads, as these Sri Lankan firms attracted enquiries from more than 175 visitors and had orders in negotiation surpassing US$ 867,500.

Participation in THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 is anticipated to enhance Sri Lankan food and beverage exports within the region. Buyers from around the globe with large purchasing needs gathered at the event to connect with suppliers, explore new products, and learn about industry trends. Food and beverage manufacturers globally have a significant chance at THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 to explore and collect the latest trends in food, emerging products, pricing and market dynamics, competitors, processing machinery, equipment, packaging, and more. The exhibition offered a competitive venue for Sri Lankan exporters to showcase their products, aiming to bolster current business ties and discover new opportunities in the Thai market and other international markets.

At the invitation of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, the Sri Lanka Country Pavilion, which prominently displayed a variety of high-quality food and beverage items, was formally opened by Her Excellency E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to UNESCAP.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) also organized a six-day Technical Exposure & Capacity Development Programme concurrently with the THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 Exhibition in collaboration with the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Thailand with the participation of seven export potential SME entrepreneurs from 25^th to 31^st May 2025. It was considered that the event “THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025” would be an ideal platform for the export potential SMEs as a learning experience to identify the market requirements and trends in the food and beverage sector to enter the international market.

This exposure programme consisted of a number of activities for SME entrepreneurs, including a two-day guided tour to the THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 Exhibition, a product display to showcase their product samples at the Sri Lanka Pavilion together with an EDB information desk, B2B meetings with exhibitors to learn the background work that should develop to market their products to the foreign markets, visit top Thai retail stores and major food companies to obtain direct insights into emerging consumer trends, market dynamics, and innovative technologies in the sector, training sessions and seminars conducted by the key institutions in Thailand, including Food Innopolis of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), the Thai Packaging Centre, Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Marketing Association of Thailand (MAT), aimed to share with the participants Thailand’s approach and experience concerning the development of its food and beverage sector and create a platform for discussion and exchange of knowledge between the participants, Thailand professionals of the industry and Trade Associations. During the visit to THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025, SME entrepreneurs had the opportunities to visit International Suppliers for Food and Beverage Industry on Packing Material & Technology at the same venue.

Overall, the SME entrepreneurs who participated in the exposure programme were able to gain knowledge on latest technology to upgrade their production facilities, develop new products, improve packaging and source equipment required for increasing productivity and this exposure will help them to enter into export markets successfully.

Both exporters and SME entrepreneurs participated at the THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 Exhibition and Technical Exposure Programme appreciated the services provided by the EDB and the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Thailand in organizing and facilitating for the successful completion of the THAIFEX Anuga Asia 2025 Exhibition and Exposure Visit in Thailand during the period from 25^th May – 1^st June 2025.